Still battling GHA

[MohrReefs]

Okay so I have a 44gal tank that's a year and a half old, used dry rock. Current stock (1 perc clown, 1 diamond goby, 1 starry blenny, 1 leopard wrasse, 1 target mandarin) . I was using a canister filter before and was having algae issues (pulling by hand and coming back with vengeance within days) so I changed to a 10 gallon sump with skimmer and chaeto.

Still having gha issues. Still can't remove it by hand fast enough.

So I start reducing feeding to half cube of frozen every other day instead of daily.

Still having gha issues.

So I cut down the white lights to almost nothing after reading on the forums.

STILL GHA.

Turbo snails don't touch it. Hermits don't touch it. Starry blenny won't touch it. Everything prefers the film algae that's supposed to eat the gha.

At this point I'm thinking my LFS has bad water, I need to switch to weekly water changes or invest in a larger grazer even though I know my options there are extremely limited.

I'm due for a water change tonight. I'll post params later, but the gha has officially sucked the fun out of my tank.

Thoughts besides replacing all of the rock with live rock with coraline already on it? Should I just yank all of the rocks out and scrub in tubs? Do I need to feed even less?
Literally anything would help at this point.

TYIA

On the plus side, my fish are fat and corals are all thriving. Rocks just ugly.

 

[lapin]

@brandon429

 

[MohrReefs]

I'll add that I do have a pincushion urchin that does well in cleaning the gha but he only goes to certain spots and leaves much of it untouched. If he was all over I'd probably have a lot of this under control.

 

[jopo4343]

Could try some microbactor 7. I just started it 7 days ago and it’s doing wonders for my waterbox 15. Has most of the hair algae gone.

 

[MohrReefs]

Could try some microbactor 7. I just started it 7 days ago and it’s doing wonders for my waterbox 15. Has most of the hair algae gone.

I dose that daily, 2 cap fulls as per instructions.

 

[MohrReefs]

I bet it's my dry rock or water source. Waiting for someone to hit me with some confirmation bias. Lol

 

[jopo4343]

Well….
I am just 3 months in after being out of the hobby for 10 years or so. I have been learning all of the new things since. I have been trying to switch to the Dr Tims way. Lots of good bacteria something not so much heard of when I got out. Also not zeroing out nitrate or phos. I just ordered some copepods.
Maybe that’s a way to go?

 

[jopo4343]

What’s your tds for the water you make?

 

[MohrReefs]

Well….
I am just 3 months in after being out of the hobby for 10 years or so. I have been learning all of the new things since. I have been trying to switch to the Dr Tims way. Lots of good bacteria something not so much heard of when I got out. Also not zeroing out nitrate or phos. I just ordered some copepods.
Maybe that’s a way to go?

Making me cry man, I have a copepods farm and I grow phyto lol.

What’s your tds for the water you make?

I don't make my water, I get it from lfs so I couldn't tell you.

 

[jopo4343]

Turn the lights down?

 

[jopo4343]

How does one make a copepod farm?

 

[musaabi]

Avoid feeding your tank for a week. I was having crazy gha and couldn’t get rid of it. I left for vacation for a week and didn’t feed during that time and when I came back it was all gone.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Reef Flux worked for me after heavy heavy manual removal and scrubbing with a brush. Dosing Reef Flux took about a week, but it turned it all light green/white and removed it fully.

Note, it doesn't work on all varieties..

 

[MohrReefs]

Reef Flux worked for me after heavy heavy manual removal and scrubbing with a brush. Dosing Reef Flux took about a week, but it turned it all light green/white and removed it fully.

Note, it doesn't work on all varieties..

Would probably kill my chaeto though.

 

[MohrReefs]

Avoid feeding your tank for a week. I was having crazy gha and couldn’t get rid of it. I left for vacation for a week and didn’t feed during that time and when I came back it was all gone.

Mandarin would blow through the pods if I stopped feeding it for that long but I might consider that.

 

[MohrReefs]

How does one make a copepod farm?

Couple 2 gallon jars, grow phyto in one and throw half phyto water and half salt water into the other with a nest in it. They populate the jar and you grow their food source. Check out poseidon reef systems.

 

[MohrReefs]

Turn the lights down?

Whites are off, only blues now for corals.

 

[schuby]

How about a pic or three for some additional context? What do you feed and dose in a day or week (import)? What do you use to export nutrients each day or week? (ATS, skimmer, chaeto, GAC, GFO, Lanthanum Chloride, water change, etc) Have you ever had a dino problem? What is your light schedule (and lights with intensity)?

 

[MohrReefs]

How about a pic or three for some additional context? What do you feed and dose in a day or week (import)? What do you use to export nutrients each day or week? (ATS, skimmer, chaeto, GAC, GFO, Lanthanum Chloride, water change, etc) Have you ever had a dino problem? What is your light schedule (and lights with intensity)?

I can later but I'll have to crank whites on or you'll see nothing.

Import: I feed half cube size of reef frenzy or blood worms every 2 days.

Export: skimmer, chaeto, biweekly wc.

Lights, 11 hour blue 100% white 0% with 1 hour ramp up and ramp down.

Never had dino issues as far as I'm aware, just gha and cyano at one point. Cyano is gone.

 

[schuby]

White-light pics are the best!

Why is your tag-line "Military Grade Bryopsis Sniper"? Do you have a Bryopsis outbreak and not GHA?